Matix Relog
by Yato
Summary: Marco enrolls in a college famous throughout the world. He gets between Star and Tom, who used to be a happy couple before a disastrous event. Uncovering the secrets behind their breakup, he soon realizes the college serves a dark purpose and discovers the sinister secrets that stain human history. "They will eventually bring about the destruction of the universe." STARCO/TOMCO AU.
1. Chapter 1

Pulling his suitcases into the dorm, a brunet dropped his keys on the wooden desk and fell back onto his unmade bed, cringing at its stiffness. He was finally here. College, what most commonly refer to as the best years of their lives.

He shot out of his bed and opted to sit in the swivel chair situated at his desk. While doing so, he pulled out his phone. Slipping out of his pocket, the boy's I.D card sat on the floor, mocking him. "Oh god, I've got to live with this picture for the next four years." The card read, "Marco Diaz"

As he thought how much he was going to regret taking such a horrible picture for the next several months, an ugly memory reared its head in Marco's thoughts. Well, it wasn't exactly an ugly memory. "This campus is pretty big, I shouldn't run into them any time soon." And with that, Marco quelled any remaining unpleasant thoughts and promptly grabbed his I.D from the floor.

"It'll be good to start fresh."

Unfortunately, fate never seemed to be on Marco's side. Despite there being one thousand freshmen on campus today, he managed to run into problem number one. "Marco, Marco! Over here!" A resplendent blonde sat on the floor, legs crisscrossed. How did she spot him with so many people? He sure as hell didn't know. He tried. He really tried to avoid her gaze and ignore her calls but their eyes accidentally met. Not good.

So he ended up sitting next to problem number one, although, it may be better to refer to her by name. "Hey Star." He said dejectedly as he plopped down next to her. Nudging him, Star grinned.

"You already homesick? It's okay I can totally make you feel better." She pulled out a toy. Marco scrutinized the object, perplexity plastered on his face. To be frank, he was probably better off not asking. "Why do you look so confused? Never seen a wand before?"

He really was better off not knowing. "Um, are you a magician? You like to cosplay as magical girls or what?"

"No silly, I'm princess of-"

"Greetings, class of 20XX! Welcome to Matix College! Most of you are here to make history, others may not have such a great impact but are helping us out in ways you'd never imagined."

Thank God, he didn't have to stomach whatever foolishness was about to escape her mouth. He'd never been so glad to listen to a scruffy, elderly man talk. About a half hour in and Marco's eyes began to droop. He was nudged once more, "Wanna get out of here?" Being half asleep, he nodded.

Star hopped to her feet and grabbed Marco's hand, hoisting him up.

It seemed as if the old dude finished his speech. Silence engulfed the room for a few seconds before the students erupted in small chatter. All chit chat ceased as someone cleared their throat in the microphone. "Welcome freshmen."

Marco's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He quickly woke up, gripping Star's wrist. Weaving his way through the crowd, Marco dragged the blonde behind him, desperate to exit the room.

"You."

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Problem number two glared daggers at him from atop the stage and… were his eyes starting to glow? He had been spotted once again, no use trying to avoid him now. His cheeks tinged pink and a butterfly fluttered its wings in his stomach.

"Aww, Marco, you're blushing!"

A sigh escaped his lips as his eyes fell to the floor. Turns out, a few months earlier at orientation, Marco and Star had been in the same Orientation group. Tom, the sophomore standing at the podium, seething with rage, was their Orientation Leader and happened to be Star's ex-boyfriend.

 _On the grass, a group of ten students sat in a circle under the scorching sun. Tom, who seemed completely uninterested in doing this, stared at a piece of paper with half lidded eyes before crumbling it and shoving it into his pocket. "Introduce yourselves." Tom's eyes lazily scanned thee circle, landing on Marco." We'll start with the idiot in the red hoodie."_

 _Marco, unsure if Tom was addressing him, looked around the circle in search of someone else wearing a sweater. His search was fruitless and he tossed a light glare at Tom, who paid him no mind. "I'm Marco-"_

" _Your beauty mark is so cute." Star spoke up from across the circle before crawling over and sitting next to him. "It's in the right spot. You're lucky it isn't big and hairy and on your lip." She continued to lean in closer. A shiver ran down his spine, not due to the close proximity with Star but Tom was sending some killer vibes his way._

 _After introductions, Tom insisted that they play a game. He didn't care, so they had the freedom of choice and of course Truth or Dare was everyone's choice. "I dare Marco to kiss Star on the cheek."_

 _Marco rolled his eyes, were they in middle school? It was no problem, a kiss on the cheek was common in Mexican culture. He placed a swift, chaste kiss on her heart sticker, or tattoo or whatever the hell it was._

 _Tom stomped over in 0.1 seconds, scowling and growling at Marco. Apparently Star had the wrong idea. "Aww Tom, no need to be jealous, you can get a kiss from Marco too."_

 _What transpired in the next ten seconds was either a nightmare or a dream, it was debatable. Standing up, Star shoved Tom onto Marco. Marco, fearing the impact, glued his eyes shut and awaited a world of pain. Marco grunted as Tom collapsed on him but let out a squeak in surprise when their lips smashed together._

 _His eyes shot open, taking in all the glory. He quickly shut them again, the weight on top of him disappeared. Marco's eyes remained shut for the next five minutes because it was simply too embarrassing. He did hear an angry, yet flustered, "Damn it Star! This isn't worth the extra two priority points." followed by the pitter patter of feet._

"You and Tom make such a cute couple. What sort of dates did you two go on?"

"Star…we're not together."

"Just a warning he has serious anger issues. It's pretty fitting since he's the prince of h-"A pale hand clasped over the blonde's mouth.

"Stop talking like I'm not here." Tom glowered, retracting his hand. "And watch your mouth."

 **A/N:**

 *****EDIT: I've decided this fic will be both Tomco and Starco for plotting purposes*****

 **Yooo, this is my first svtfoe fanfic so go easy on me lol**

 **Mm I honestly don't know if this is gonna be tomco or starco but that's not really important is it? What is important is that this has an actual plot. There's some foreshadowing.**

 **What's more important is that this isn't your standard College AU. You see, my college reminds people of Hogwarts so it sorta inspired this story for me. No this isn't based on Harry Potter because I never watched the movies or read the books. Tom looks like a regular human btw x:**

 **I really don't wanna spoil anything so imma shut up my A/N's are always long**


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick Note: Summary has changed.**

Freshmen. They were everywhere. Some of them came up to him, eager to make a new friend, but he wasn't interested. He just wanted to enjoy a god damned meal by himself but they all flocked to him. Biting into his burger, Tom glared at the umpteenth freshmen who approached him in the last 20 minutes. "Marco, what do you want?"

"Well I want to apologize." The brunet muttered, avoiding Tom's fiery gaze. "And I also need a place to sit." He grinned nervously, hoping the other wouldn't turn him away.

Tom's eyes traced back to his burger as he gave a nonchalant, "Fuck off."

"Too late." Marco placed his bowl on the table and slid into the booth, sitting across from Tom. The ginger shot a disconcerting look at Marco's yogurt and the Mexican couldn't help but notice. "Is something wrong?"

Scowling, Tom put down his burger, pointing at Marco's bowl. "Uh, what do you guys call it again…yogurt? Yeah, don't eat that. Your stomach will start churning seconds after you finish."

"And here I thought you hated me."

"Well that depends." Marco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, urging Tom to elaborate. "Are you human?"

Confusion washed over Marco's face. "Um, yes. Aren't you one too?" It was a dumb question, what else could he be? Tom's scarlet eyes bore into Marco's, sending him a subliminal message. The silence was unnerving, almost suffocating.

Tom's gaze eventually fell back to his burger. "What do you think?"

"So you do hate me." His voice rose towards the end of his sentence, hinting at uncertainty. Tom glanced at him briefly before retracting his gaze. "Anyways, sorry about Star."

"Don't worry about it. I'm over her but you two seem _close…_ " Was the table getting warmer? Marco positioned both hands on the table, forgetting his yogurt. The brunet pushed such absurdities out of his mind, focusing his attention on Tom.

"I think we're closer." Marco winked. Tom cringed. "Too soon?"

Nodding, Tom groaned, "I'd like to forget about that kiss." He brushed a finger over a bruised lip, flinching a bit. "I'm leaving. See you later, mortal." The nickname wasn't affectionate at all but was spoken with venom. The ginger wiped his mouth with a napkin, excusing himself from the table.

Concern swelled within Marco's chest. The accidental kiss was two months ago so why was he injured?

Scrutinizing the board, Marco tried to make sense of the arguments the professor wrote down. **"Holiness is being loved by the gods. If we utilize the 'is' of identity, we should be able to switch these two terms."**

Marco squinted his eyes, completely lost. The last thing he wanted to do was take a Philosophy course but it was a requirement, so he had to take it sooner or later. **"** **The second claim states that something is loved by the gods because the Gods love it. It is false that the Gods love it because it is being loved by the Gods."**

"Oh boy…" The brunet whispered as he glanced at his watch. Only an hour to go, yippee. Convinced there was no way he'd understand the material, Marco decided to copy down everything written on the board and wished for the best. After that, his eyes roamed the professor, observing every inch of his figure. No, he wasn't being creepy, he was just bored.

He wore a professional suit as if this were a court room. His hair was gelled back neatly, not a single strand of hair out of place. Marco's eyes never forsook the professor for a moment. Oddly enough, when facing the class, he'd keep his right arm behind his back.

" **The final claim says that the Gods love something because it is holy. It is false that something is holy simply because the Gods love it."**

Perhaps Marco was imagining it, but every few minutes, the young professor's golden eyes would ghost over him and change into slits, sending a slight chill down his back." **If the terms in the definition were switched, a contradiction is apparent. If we were to swap out the terms in the third claim, it would say, 'The Gods love something because it is being loved by the Gods. This creates a paradox with the second claim that states it is false the Gods love something because it is being loved by the Gods."**

He paced back and forth, eventually stopping in front of Marco. "I'll let you all go early." And with that, students eagerly shoved their books and laptops into their bags and shuffled out of the room. Marco took his time and regretted it when he noticed the professor hadn't moved from his spot. "Marco, I have a feeling you want to speak with me."

"Mr. Toffee…" Astonished, Marco struggled for words. His stomach churned at the thought of having one on one time with the ominous man. "Actually, I'm good."

"It's obvious you understand everything except the end of the reading. I read over your answers for the discussion questions." Toffee grimaced, loosening his tie. Suppressing a gasp, Marco clamped a hand over his mouth. "Just ask me one question and you're free to go."

"Uh, okay. Why does Euthyphro accept the third claim? Why can't something be holy because of the Gods' love?"

" **If that were the case, the Gods would have to love things arbitrarily."** Toffee explained, placing both hands on the table. Marco fought the urge to look, keeping his eyes glued to Toffee's own. **"Let's say you gave a homeless man money and the Gods seeing this, decide to bestow their love on you, making you holy. You're not holy because the Gods love you but because of your act of kindness."**

Raising an eyebrow, Marco shot Toffee a dubious look while sliding on his backpack. "Tell me Marco, have you ever heard of the Divine Command Theory?"

"No, but as interesting as that sounds, I've got another class later in twenty minutes and I didn't finish the assignment so…"

"Not a problem, you can come see me during my office hours, especially if you want an A on the first paper." He outstretched his right hand, offering a handshake. Marco took his hand in his own, hesitantly, wincing at Toffees firm grip.

The strength of three mere fingers surprised Marco.

Marco couldn't blame Tom for being pissed at him, Star was gorgeous, although she was a little out of this world, she was slightly awesome. She was growing on him but he had no idea why she was in his room and going through his belongings.

"I can't believe you're having problems. The whole class must be doomed if you're confused." Star said while spraying Marco's cologne on her wrists. She sat cross legged at his desk, fooling around with his personal products.

Glaring at the ceiling, Marco took slight offense. He was a straight A student in high school, he has to keep the legacy alive. "I'll understand eventually. The professor even sat me down and tried explaining it."

"Which professor?"

"Toffee."

"Oh!" A coy smile tugged at Stars lips, mischief swimming in her half lidded eyes. She spun around in the chair to face Marco. "You know who could really help you out?"

Marco's eyes lit up. A tutor? A tutor would be a great idea this early on in the semester! Before he could even ask who, Star had already blurted out, "Tom!" The sparkle in the brunet's eyes faded as he fell back on his bed once more. "There's just one tiny problem about that. He hates me."

The blonde shot out of her chair and hopped right on top of Marco, who let out a frightening gasp. "You never had a high school romance right?" Marco cringed internally, she hit the nail right on the head. "This is your chance! Two boys who hate each other slowly fall in love; it's perfect."

"Sorry to crush your fantasy, but I'm straight."

Star huffed as she grabbed Marco by the shoulders and hoisted him up, she leant in until their noses touched. "S-Star? Pink tinted his cheeks; she was far too close.

"If you want to pass Philosophy, you better march over to his dorm right now."

"I d-don't need his help…"

"I guess someone wants to visit death's door." Marco didn't know what magic trick she was pulling but the vibrant pink hearts on her cheeks morphed into obsidian skulls which were incentive enough to persuade him.

"What dorm?"

"Midrise. 306A. Have fun." She release her death grip, pushing Marco off the bed.

Knocking on the door, Marco contemplated turning back and heading for his dorm. If he were to do that, he would have to face Star's wrath, and would rather not experience something that unpleasant. A muffled, "Come in!" was heard and Marco did just that.

His eyebrows furrowed together when the knob wouldn't budge. "It's locked."

"Just a sec'." The door swung open, revealing a girl with aquamarine eyes and short platinum blonde hair. "Yo, who are you here for?" She asked, a mild smile plastered on her face. She gestured for him to come in.

"Tom." Marco muttered as he stepped into the suite. There were several small tables in the corner of the room, a couch and two bean bag chairs. A television was mounted up on the wall and a few game consoles sat on the floor

"Ugh Tom. The one with anger issues? Why would you wanna see him?" She looked fairly unimpressed as she scrutinized Marco. Red hoodie, brown hair, beauty mark on the right cheek. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, so _you're_ Marco. Tom's been bitching about you lately. Something about stealing his ex."

"So he really isn't over her." Marco pouted.

"No way. I have no idea how they broke up but Tom went berserk at some point."

"Just his anger issues?"

"If you ask me, I don't think it was mere anger issues dude. Lots of things tick him off but…I've never seen him go berserk. It'd have to be pretty important." The laid back atmosphere became thick as the small smile soon vanished from her face altogether. "Probably has something to do with…" She trailed off, biting her lip.

"With?"

"Oh I'm sorry, you're here to see Tom. I shouldn't be spilling his information. He's in that room." The blonde pointed to the door behind Marco. As the brunet turned to knock on the door, the blonde tugged on his sleeve, causing him to face her once more. She leant in, and sniffed his neck.

After releasing him, she grinned and said, "I'm Jackie by the way. Be careful, don't let Tom burn you to death." She then sauntered over to another door within the suite, retreating inside.

Marco was a bit flabbergasted yet, for some reason, he felt slightly infatuated with Jackie, despite just meeting her. Shrugging, he knocked on Tom's door. He received no response and opened the door.

Tom sat at his desk, his hair was clipped back so bangs wouldn't fall on his face and earbuds dangled from his ears. He noticed the door open in his peripheral vision and yanked out the earphones, glancing at Marco. "God, Marco. What?" His eyes immediately began fondling the work on his desk once more.

"Um. Actually I'm having trouble in one of my classes and I heard you could help." Marco's eyes wandered the room as he scratched the back of his head.

"Aren't you under the impression that I loathe you?"

"Come on. Toffee is pretty-"

" _Toffee?_ "

Marco slid off one strap of his backpack and searched for his notes and the philosophical piece they were working on at the moment. "Yeah, I have a few questions about-"The sound of swift footsteps failed to reach his ears but the sudden thud against the door behind him did.

Marco released a squeal as he peered up. Tawny eyes bore into scarlet once more. Marco quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing red. Tom loomed over him, trapping him with the arm pressed against the door. "Don't ever initiate contact with Toffee." Marco breathed in sharply as he felt Tom's breath hit his neck.

"W-why?"

"You're not even supposed to be in his class. Attendance isn't considered. Don't go." Tom whispered, tilting forward. "It's for your own good."

"But-"

" **Just listen, foolish human!"** Tom lashed out, vapor shooting out of his mouth as he punched the door, causing it to rattle. Gasping, Marco clasped his scorching neck, and worriedly looked up at Tom. After he realized the steam secreting from his mouth, regret swam in Tom's eyes. Walking over to his closet, Tom scooped up a small fluff ball and began petting him. "I'll give you my notes. I had him last semester. I can even tutor you if that's necessary-"

"It won't be." Marco seethed, a hand still clamped over his neck. "Sorry for bothering you." The brunet rushed out of the room, through the suite and out the door. Tom stood in his doorway, troubled.

Jackie laid sprawled out on the couch, reading a magazine. "Of course you got upset." She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she sat up, her eyes still roaming the magazine.

"Well he has Toffee as a professor when he's human, how can I not get angry?" Running a hand through his hair, Tom huffed and turned to return to his room.

"Actually there's something I wanted to tell you. The scent of that boy…" Her tone grew grim as she tossed the magazine aside. Tom stopped in his tracks, cranking his head to look at Jackie. "There's something off about it."

 **A/N:**

 **And the plot thickens. Gosh, this is gonna be so much fun.**

 **Please review. The more reviews I get the sooner I update.**

 **Okay so I read somewhere that Marco was only going to be half latino so I'm switching things up, just a warning lol ;)**

 **Also,** _ **I know I mentioned this in the Authors Note last chapter but I've decided that this fic will be both Tomco and Starco for plotting purposes lol.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Pacing back and forth around his dorm, Marco pressed a hand to his neck. "I think something's up with Tom. Vapor from his mouth? It was really freakin' hot. And when I tried to have lunch with him the other day, the table got really warm."

Star watched Marco as he walked about the room, clenching her teeth. Tom gave her a good scolding at Orientation. Humans had also been enrolled at the college for some reason and the knowledge of magic and other dimensions were to remain unknown to them. "Maybe he's a magician. She laughed nervously. "I'm sure he meant well, Marco. His anger got the best of him. But he's a lot better than before."

"Who's this Tom kid?" A girl wearing a beanie asked while fixing her shoulder length black hair.

Star grinned guiltily as Marco gave her _the_ look. "Star please don't bring random people into my room. You have your own dorm." Marco huffed as he sat down on his bed, scowling at the stranger.

"The name's Janna."

"Oh shoot! I've gotta go to the post office, I've got a package from my parents." Star skipped out of the room, bidding farewell. Seconds later, she poked her head back in, saying, "Oh, and be nice to Janna. I'll be right back."

A smirk tugged at Janna's lips as she scooted closer to Marco. "So Diaz, I think I'll be of use to you."

"What do you mean?" He quirked an eyebrow as he frowned.

"I have some information that can potentially help you out."

Marco shot the girl a dubious look, as he laid back on his bed. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh, releasing pent up anger. "Why would you want to help me?"

Janna brought a finger to her chin, her eyes roaming the ceiling as she searched for an answer. "Well I'm curious about the juicy intel I got and just decided to share it with you. Plus I don't wanna go alone."

"Go where?"

"The Football field, after tonight's game."

"I have homework to do."

Janna's brows scrunched together as a scowl tugged at her lips. "Marco, it's a Friday night…"

"Yes, and I have important assignments-"

"Classes have only been in session for a week. It was syllabus week! You shouldn't have anything to do."

"I just want to be ahead of the class." Marco said, ignoring Janna's eye roll. "I'm not going."

"You are." Janna muttered as she inched closer to his dressing table. Marco paid her no mind, preparing for a rebuttal.

"Look-"

"You're coming if you want your room key and I.D back!" She snatched said items from the table and bolted out of the room. Marco, already tired from the day's events, didn't even bother to chase her. Why was he surrounded by weird people?

Vibrating, Marco's phone jolted him out of his thoughts. His frown deepened at the new text he received.

 **Midnight. Under the bleachers. Don't tell Star.**

How the hell did she get his number? Why wouldn't he tell Star? He'd tell her a million times if it meant ruining Janna's plan

 **If you tell her, I'll throw your key into the river. Then you'll have to pay fifty bucks to get a new one. (^:**

Janna was a formidable opponent.

Breathing in deeply, Tom pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you mean his scent is off?" He breathed out, collapsing next to Jackie on the couch.

"He smells human but there's something else mingled in there."

"He spends an awful lot of time with Star, her scent probably rubbed off on him.

A doubtful look washed over Jackie's features as she arched an eyebrow. "Whatever, I won't stress about it." She picked up her magazine once more, flipping through its pages. Instead of reading an intriguing article, she opted for conversation. "What happened in there?"

"I got upset and hurt him."

"And you actually care? That's a first."

"I'm not concerned about him. It's Toffee."

Shooting him a sly look, Jackie masked her face with the magazine, "You've got a soft spot for little Marco."

Tom rose from his seat, pulling a hand through his hair and removing his clip. "Anyways, you already know about the meeting tonight?" She nodded, already having lost interest in teasing him. "I'll see you there." Before he could retreat to his room, the entrance to the suite swung open.

Peeking over her magazine, Jackie suppressed a nervous giggle. "I don't want to be around for this. Probably won't make it out alive." She quickly exited the suite, passing their guest in the doorway.

Tom's red eyes softened as they glazed over their figure. "Star, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. I was going to give you a second chance but forget it."

"Will you at least come…tonight?"

"No, I won't because I realized that this whole meeting is just a big insult to me and my kind. And leave Marco alone."

"He's the one who came to me!" An eerie glow engulfed his eyes as his body began to tremble from rage." You're probably the one who sent him here."

Beads of sweat formed on Star's forehead, the tension from her body slowly seeping away. Her nonchalant eyes watched Tom's transformation. His pale, porcelain skin turned into a sickly purple. A tuft of slim hairs sprouted on his forehead, followed by flesh forming crevice.

"Like I said years ago," Star spoke in a hushed tone, holding her wand by her side. Pulsating with light, the wand glowed. "You're the real monster."

Clenching his fists, Tom's fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood. "Just don't get in my way Star."

"Is that a threat?" She pointed her wand towards him, quivering. "I thought being around someone as pure as Marco would change your view of humans. I was wrong. But if you ever hurt him again…" A beam of white, celestial light shot from her wand, past Tom's head and into the wall, leaving a large, gaping hole.

"I won't hesitate."

Although it was only September, it was chilly out. The brunet pulled his hoodie over his head and dug his hands into his pockets. His warm breath escaped into the atmosphere and like a ghost, disappeared within seconds.

He didn't bother to tell Star about Janna's suspicious intel. He'd be out here for 30 minutes top and be back in his dorm before 1am. Approaching the football field, Marco grimaced at the thought of crawling under the bleachers. All the germs…

A tap on the shoulder shook him out of his thoughts. He twirled around, the sight of Janna greeting him. He wasn't exactly happy to see her but if it meant not having to go under the bleachers he was okay with it.

"Yo, Diaz."

"Hi." He greeted flatly as he checked for the time. Janna lightly slapped his wrist, a grin on her face.

"Relax. The night is young."

"Actually it's morning."

"Wow, you must have been the life of the party back in high school." Sarcasm seeped from her tone. Marco glared. "Listen, we need to hurry and get under those bleachers."

"But the germs-"

"It's a private college, I'm sure they keep down there nice and tidy." Janna said as she gripped Marco's hand and dragged him over to the germ infested area. She stooped down, peering into the darkness. "We have to hide here."

"I'm going back to my dorm."

"I wonder how you'll get back inside without your I.D." She twirled his card in his hand while casually whistling. Attempting to grab what was rightfully his, Marco missed and watched as Janna crawled into the last place he wanted to be.

When it became clear Marco wasn't coming under anytime soon, Janna hissed, "Diaz, they're coming, hurry up."

"Who's coming?"

Growing impatient, Janna firmly gripped his I.D in both hands, as if she were about to break it in half. "Diaz…"

A broken I.D card was incentive enough to make Marco join the manipulative girl underneath the bleachers. He had to admit it wasn't THAT bad. "Okay, so who's coming?"

She brought a finger to her lips before pointing through the gaps in the bleachers. A whole horde of students sauntered onto the field, quietly whispering amongst themselves and looking over their shoulders.

Marco's eyes widened as his eyes trailed to the front of the cluster. Leading the group was none other than Tom. The ginger abruptly stopped, stooping to the ground. His hands fondled the artificial grass, gripping a handle. He stood back up, opening a trap door.

Without hesitation, he hopped in. The other students followed suit not wasting anytime.

"W-what is this? Some sort of cult?"

Janna kissed her teeth as the amount of students dwindled, "Aren't you glad you tagged along, now hurry up and get out, we need to follow them."

The duo jogged over to the secret underground entrance, opening the hatch and climbing down the ladder. Marco couldn't see a thing, it was pitch black. His sense of sight was completely useless.

Unnerving murmurs tingled his ears and the scent of sweat infiltrated his nostrils. This place was foreign. Tan fingers reached out, gripping Janna's beanie. Marco received a jab of the elbow in return. At least her presence calmed him down, but only a little.

"The time to fight back is now." All whispers ceased at the sound of Tom's voice. "As you all know, if we don't do something about humanity, it'll be the end for us all. This year we've enlisted Star Butterfly into our ranks-"

Something dropped in Marco's stomach. He wasn't supposed to be here. He felt vulnerable and naked as if everyone's eyes ravished him. This darkness was unwelcoming, these students were not regular students. The way Tom's voice grew quiet made his skin crawl.

His body itched and grew sticky, the temperature shot up. A dozen questions floated around in his head but now was not the time for answers. This all felt familiar, like when Tom spotted him during Move-In Day. Only this time, the situation was much more detrimental.

Three crimson eyes pierced through the dark, shooting daggers at Marco. Shallow, rapid breaths escaped his slightly parted lips. The uncanny sensation of everyone watching him multiplied tenfold. Gripping the ladder with one hand, he turned to Janna and whispered, "We have to leave now."

 **A/N**

 **Yo, I know there's a lot of plot progression but imma slow it down with actual college life stuff soon lol.**


	4. Chapter 4

The events of last night were disconcerting, leaving Marco, slightly scarred. He sat in the lounge of his dorm, trying to concentrate on his philosophy assignment. A laptop sat on his lap and a notebook lay open on the table. His eyebrows scrunched together as he slammed his computer shut, releasing a frustrated groan. Socrates could wait.

First it was his professor's three fingers, then those three glowing eyes. What was next? Fiddling with his fingers, Marco contemplated what he should do. Worry swelled within his chest at the mention of Star's name last night and Tom's suspicious behavior only amplified his qualms. Stroking his throat, Marco winced at the memory of the upperclassman's outburst.

He stuffed his belongings into his bag, thinking it'd be much easier to get work done in his room but his luck was just awful. The devil himself strolled into the lounge, glaring at everyone until his eyes landed on Marco.

"Mortal…" Tom addressed. Marco ignored him, zipping up his bag. "Why'd you leave last night?"

The hairs on the back of Marco's neck shot up and his eyes took a sudden interest in the floor. A shiver caressed his body. After what seemed like an eternity, he answered. "W-what are you talking about?"

Sliding his bag on, Marco's gaze travelled the room, landing on everything and everyone but Tom before returning to the floor. Tom placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing his escape. "I saw you." Marco's body stiffened, his eyes nearly bore a whole into the ground. He was afraid to look up, afraid to make eye contact.

Afraid to see those eyes.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Marco's gaze slowly trailed up Tom's figure. Feet, legs, torso, and neck …Relief washed over him. Only two eyes stared back at him. "Don't fucking lie to me."

Marco brushed off Tom's, taking a step back. "I left because once I saw your face my day was ruined."

"Sorry, Tom is pretty embarrassing. With his LARP group and all." Jackie said, walking up towards the duo. She slung an arm around Tom's shoulder.

Cupping a hand over his mouth, Marco tried to suppress a giggle but failed miserably. "Dude, seriously? Roleplaying?" Tom scowled as Jackie retracted her arm due his body temperature shooting up. "I'm sorry I can't be part of your little club, I have more important things to do." Marco said as he waved goodbye to Jackie and snickered at Tom.

Once he was out of sight, Tom shoved Jackie lightly before asking, "Now he thinks I'm some loser."

"Thought you didn't care about little Marco."

The idea of Tom being the leader of a cult slipped out of Marco's mind. The brunet just couldn't comprehend Tom's hobby. Although, what he was doing at the moment wasn't much better. He had been at Game Society for the last several hours playing Smash with a plethora of males.

"Come on dude, all you gotta do a back throw to finish off Marco. Grab him and flick the analog stick- "

"Damn it, this is why I only play with Game Cube controllers!" A tubby ginger cursed as he threw away his controller and folded his arms.

"Maybe next time Ferguson." Marco patted the boy on the shoulder, consoling him.

"So how are things going with that hot chick, what's her name? Star."

Marco rolled his eyes. It seemed as if everyone was trying to hook up or preserve a long distance relationship. He had no such interests, he just wanted to focus on his studies and make some friends. "There's nothing going on between us- "

"If you guys are done with the game; do you mind if I take a turn?" A husky voice asked. Marco's gaze shifted towards the stranger, nearly letting out an inaudible gasp.

A male stood beside him, just about the same height. His golden blond hair framed his face perfectly as his electric blue eyes emitted an eerie glow. Ferguson peered back and forth between Marco and the blond. "We don't mind," Ferguson answered since Marco was too busy gaping to form a coherent thought.

Picking up the controller, the blond stared at it, perplexed. "Dude, do you even know how to hold it?" Ferguson shook his head when he received a blank stare in response.

Marco had closed his mouth eventually. Obviously this person was attractive but something was off. Their presence felt…omnipotent and out of this world. Marco brushed the thought away. If he didn't know how to hold a controller, he couldn't be that special.

The kid's lack of comprehension for a simple device reminded Marco of Star. Or… was he Star? He even had that same red devil horn headband. "Star you don't have to disguise yourself as a guy to come to Game Society."

The stranger's eyes went wide at the mention of the name. "I-I have to go."

A smirk graced Marco's lips, he hit the nail right on the head.

Janna kicked her feet up onto a table, leaning back onto a couch while scrolling through her phone. This was a nice suite. The sophomores had good housing. She checked the time and let out a frustrated sigh. She'd have to wait another half hour. "Maybe I could get something from the dining hall or…"

Of course, she wasn't supposed to be in here. She had some questions for Tom. She scrunched her eyebrows, going deep into thought. She didn't have any dirt on him or anything that could give her leverage.

She shrugged while whipping out a bobby pin. Pushing herself off the couch, she squatted in front of what she believed to be his door. Most people always wondered how she got information about everything, it's better if that question isn't answered.

After unlocking the door, Janna searched the room. There was nothing but books and clothes, just the average dorm room. Just as she was about to give up, shuffling came from the closet. Jackpot.

She slid the closet open, and what looked back at her made her skin crawl. She gagged while scooping it up and headed back to the common room. She plunged herself back onto the sofa, cradling the _thing_ in her hands. "Never expected Tom to have something like this..."

As if on que, the ginger came strolling through the door. He approached his door as he normally would with keys in hand but eventually he realized Janna's presence in the room. Scowling, he acknowledged her.

"Yo! I went to your LARP meeting last night."

Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Tom groaned. "Yes, you came with Marco."

"So, was it really just a nerd fest?"

"Yes, now leave."

Janna offered Tom an innocent smile. "You should answer my questions…" Janna slowly unclasped her hands and revealed a small bunny. "Or else this little guy gets it."

A/N: Wow okay, this has been on my laptop for years tbh. I typed it up shortly after I uploaded chapter 3 but I just never uploaded it. Hope y'all enjoyed!


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